Chapter 216
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"I'm warning you beforehand, it's not going to be anything too fancy okay? It might be more crude than what a Wangye like you is used to." Shen Tianyu crossed her arms and warned him ahead of time. In her last life, she let the proffessionals do the gourmet cooking since she didn't see the point of learning such advanced cooking skills when she wasn't operating a restaurant. Her cooking level was pretty average, though it was considered highly-skilled among the elites that never learned nor had motivation to learn to cook since they could pay for gourmet food and takeout everyday of the year until their death. And when she trasmigrated to here, she didn't need to upgrade her cooking skills either. Firstly, she was decently fed in the minister's estate despite her meals being leagues away from her siblings in extravagance, but at least she never went to sleep on a completely empty stomach. She was also able to fulfill her hunger by sneaking in stuff from the gardens. Extravagant cooking in a situation like that was just asking for a beating. Secondly, when she was taken into Yaodu, no one ate nore desired extravagant meals, everyone pretty much just ate to survive and update their friends on their lives. Though she was put on cooking duty more often than most, no one complained about her food and actually praised the taste being a wodnerful upgrade from the usual repetitive menu that was in place before because no oine knew how to cook more than three types of food. The old researchers were never put on cooking duty, though, sincce they never ate unless someone forced them to and even fainted in research so there was no way they even knew how to light the stove, much less cook. Compared to the lavish meals at the Wangfu and some of the restaurants here, especially in the capital, her cooking skills were really subpar.
"That's of no consequence! I'm sure everything you make will be delicious because you're my wife!" Rong Jian proudly declared.
"...Love really makes one blind..." Shen Tianyu mumbled to herself as she looked at Rong Jian's proud figure. "Well, I'm glad you think that way, looks like I won't be as pressured to make a beautiful dish." She told him aloud.
"Good! When do you want to go into the kitchen?"
"Hm... a half shichen before we have dinner." Shen Tianyu decided. They usually had dinner in the latter half of the You hour. It was currently the Shen hour.
...
They arrived at the Wangfu and got off with the usual lineup. Rong Jian walked her to her quarters and left to give orders to the kitchen staff. Shen Tianyu dismissed the maids that were lingering around and told them to help out their co-workers. The Head Maid and her assistant were told to stay outside but given permission to sit down on the stone chairs or relax with some tea to combat the cold outside. Locking herself in her room, she walked towards the only desk in her bedroom, which was placed just in front of an open window facing east. There sat a pigeon with a dark silver ribbon tied around it's neck and a piece of paper attached to one of it's legs. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it. "What would you like us to have ready for the meeting?"
Taking a sheet of paper and a cinnabar stick from a tray of writing utensils set aside on the table, she wrote to Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao. In truth, she disliked the crayon-like texture of words written in cinnabar but she was even worse with a brush and ink since she was never great at calligraphy and a moment of inattentiveness could mess up a whole letter. Besides, holding the brush with her wrist at a ninety degree angle hurt and felt really uncomfortable.
"The Emperor agreed to an official meeting on the next Earth Day. Bring some information about other industries and why a lot of artisans and medicinepeople are unwilling to disclose their special methods. We will be pushing for a policy that lisences people's creations to their inventors and other people have to pay the creator in order to use that invention so, bring any other information you deem necessary for that argument." The letter was short and concise, able to fit onto a separate small strip of paper. It was a waste of space and technology to send these kinds of messages using Jade Slips. She attached her answer onto the other leg of the bird. She held her hand out in front of it, the back of her hand touching the cool wood of the table, and it hopped onto the palm of her hand. She then put her other hand on the table top and leaned out the window, the hand with the pigeon on it ahead the rest of her body. She then quickly extended her arm as if to throw the bird from ther palm and it flapped it's wings at the same time. Taking advantage of the small push, the pigeon quickly flew into the sky and away, towards it's previous destination. Shen Tianyu retracted her hand as she watched it fly away to make sure it wasn't attacked on her part of the trip. When it was just a speck of black, she straightened up her upper body and turned away from the open window. The Head Maid and her assistant were in the front yard and probably saw the pigeon leaving but it wasn't like she was cheating on Rong Jian or anything so she didn't have anything to worry or have a guilty conscience about.
Since the Head Maid and her assistant didn't have any other work to do besides serving her, she called them back in and had them heat the room by putting charcoal into the large burner pit outside. The ground heating system in the Zhu Wangye's residence was quite advanced, as was all the residence of all the other Wangye and especially the Imperial Palace. The fire pit was located outside the West side of the building with a small window to access it from within. The window was about the size of a mailbox slot in Shen Tianyu's previous world, big enough to throw charcoal into the pit but not big enough for a wild child to accidentally fall through. The slot only opened outwards so the people inside could throw charcoal in it and not have to manually close the slot themselves. The charcoal smoke would circulate under the building through mud or brick pipes and exit outside via a smoke jack built into the side of the building next to the fire pit into the sky so it was less likely to dirty the ground and the people walking by were less likely to accidentally step on it and potentially burn themselves. As the charcoal smoke circulate under the building, it heated up the floor and the air inside. It was an effective heating system for the time being, though it did cost in terms of air cleanliness but then again there were much more trees to take care of the bad things in the air. The Head Maid's assistant was the one to start a small fire in the pit and tended to it until it was sustainable without a human having to watch over it. She then came back inside and guarded the slot in order to throw in charcoal. Next to the slot was a wooden box the size of an almost fully-grown child full of charcoal. Shen Tianyu laid on the chaise as she tried to read a book about this kingdom's history, which she had borrowed from Rong Jian some time beforehand. There were currently ten volumes in total and the one she was holding was only the third. The current volume, she was told, covered the second most prosperous time in the history of Rikui kingdom before the big war between all the current nations first broke out.
The Head Maid was allowed to sit on one of the chairs at tthe dinning table so she pulled out a knitting set and started knitting something at the dinning table. The Head Maid's assistant was also allowed a chair as she guarded the fire pit. Shen Tianyu did ask her if she wanted to read something in the meantime but she declined saying she needed to concentrate on the temperature of the room.
Time passed quickly and soon one of Rong Jian's eunuches knocked on the door of the room. "This humble one comes to inform Wangfei that the appointed time has arrived and that the kitchen servants have vacated the kitchen." He announced through the door.
Shen Tianyu flipped her book closed. "Alright. Wait for me while I change and then you can lead me there." She hadn't been to the kitchen since Rong Jian gave her the tour and she knew how confusing big estates can be so she felt she needed a guide. Since she was going to be cooking, she had to change into more practical clothing so she shed her fur coat and thick outer robe with fur cuffs for something with less fur.Rooster hr: 5-7pmMonkey hr: 3-5pm
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"I'm warning you beforehand, it's not going to be anything too fancy okay? It might be more crude than what a Wangye like you is used to." Shen Tianyu crossed her arms and warned him ahead of time. In her last life, she let the proffessionals do the gourmet cooking since she didn't see the point of learning such advanced cooking skills when she wasn't operating a restaurant. Her cooking level was pretty average, though it was considered highly-skilled among the elites that never learned nor had motivation to learn to cook since they could pay for gourmet food and takeout everyday of the year until their death. And when she trasmigrated to here, she didn't need to upgrade her cooking skills either. Firstly, she was decently fed in the minister's estate despite her meals being leagues away from her siblings in extravagance, but at least she never went to sleep on a completely empty stomach. She was also able to fulfill her hunger by sneaking in stuff from the gardens. Extravagant cooking in a situation like that was just asking for a beating. Secondly, when she was taken into Yaodu, no one ate nore desired extravagant meals, everyone pretty much just ate to survive and update their friends on their lives. Though she was put on cooking duty more often than most, no one complained about her food and actually praised the taste being a wodnerful upgrade from the usual repetitive menu that was in place before because no oine knew how to cook more than three types of food. The old researchers were never put on cooking duty, though, sincce they never ate unless someone forced them to and even fainted in research so there was no way they even knew how to light the stove, much less cook. Compared to the lavish meals at the Wangfu and some of the restaurants here, especially in the capital, her cooking skills were really subpar.
"That's of no consequence! I'm sure everything you make will be delicious because you're my wife!" Rong Jian proudly declared.
"...Love really makes one blind..." Shen Tianyu mumbled to herself as she looked at Rong Jian's proud figure. "Well, I'm glad you think that way, looks like I won't be as pressured to make a beautiful dish." She told him aloud.
"Good! When do you want to go into the kitchen?"
"Hm... a half shichen before we have dinner." Shen Tianyu decided. They usually had dinner in the latter half of the You hour. It was currently the Shen hour.
...
They arrived at the Wangfu and got off with the usual lineup. Rong Jian walked her to her quarters and left to give orders to the kitchen staff. Shen Tianyu dismissed the maids that were lingering around and told them to help out their co-workers. The Head Maid and her assistant were told to stay outside but given permission to sit down on the stone chairs or relax with some tea to combat the cold outside. Locking herself in her room, she walked towards the only desk in her bedroom, which was placed just in front of an open window facing east. There sat a pigeon with a dark silver ribbon tied around it's neck and a piece of paper attached to one of it's legs. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it. "What would you like us to have ready for the meeting?"
Taking a sheet of paper and a cinnabar stick from a tray of writing utensils set aside on the table, she wrote to Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao. In truth, she disliked the crayon-like texture of words written in cinnabar but she was even worse with a brush and ink since she was never great at calligraphy and a moment of inattentiveness could mess up a whole letter. Besides, holding the brush with her wrist at a ninety degree angle hurt and felt really uncomfortable.
"The Emperor agreed to an official meeting on the next Earth Day. Bring some information about other industries and why a lot of artisans and medicinepeople are unwilling to disclose their special methods. We will be pushing for a policy that lisences people's creations to their inventors and other people have to pay the creator in order to use that invention so, bring any other information you deem necessary for that argument." The letter was short and concise, able to fit onto a separate small strip of paper. It was a waste of space and technology to send these kinds of messages using Jade Slips. She attached her answer onto the other leg of the bird. She held her hand out in front of it, the back of her hand touching the cool wood of the table, and it hopped onto the palm of her hand. She then put her other hand on the table top and leaned out the window, the hand with the pigeon on it ahead the rest of her body. She then quickly extended her arm as if to throw the bird from ther palm and it flapped it's wings at the same time. Taking advantage of the small push, the pigeon quickly flew into the sky and away, towards it's previous destination. Shen Tianyu retracted her hand as she watched it fly away to make sure it wasn't attacked on her part of the trip. When it was just a speck of black, she straightened up her upper body and turned away from the open window. The Head Maid and her assistant were in the front yard and probably saw the pigeon leaving but it wasn't like she was cheating on Rong Jian or anything so she didn't have anything to worry or have a guilty conscience about.
Since the Head Maid and her assistant didn't have any other work to do besides serving her, she called them back in and had them heat the room by putting charcoal into the large burner pit outside. The ground heating system in the Zhu Wangye's residence was quite advanced, as was all the residence of all the other Wangye and especially the Imperial Palace. The fire pit was located outside the West side of the building with a small window to access it from within. The window was about the size of a mailbox slot in Shen Tianyu's previous world, big enough to throw charcoal into the pit but not big enough for a wild child to accidentally fall through. The slot only opened outwards so the people inside could throw charcoal in it and not have to manually close the slot themselves. The charcoal smoke would circulate under the building through mud or brick pipes and exit outside via a smoke jack built into the side of the building next to the fire pit into the sky so it was less likely to dirty the ground and the people walking by were less likely to accidentally step on it and potentially burn themselves. As the charcoal smoke circulate under the building, it heated up the floor and the air inside. It was an effective heating system for the time being, though it did cost in terms of air cleanliness but then again there were much more trees to take care of the bad things in the air. The Head Maid's assistant was the one to start a small fire in the pit and tended to it until it was sustainable without a human having to watch over it. She then came back inside and guarded the slot in order to throw in charcoal. Next to the slot was a wooden box the size of an almost fully-grown child full of charcoal. Shen Tianyu laid on the chaise as she tried to read a book about this kingdom's history, which she had borrowed from Rong Jian some time beforehand. There were currently ten volumes in total and the one she was holding was only the third. The current volume, she was told, covered the second most prosperous time in the history of Rikui kingdom before the big war between all the current nations first broke out.
The Head Maid was allowed to sit on one of the chairs at tthe dinning table so she pulled out a knitting set and started knitting something at the dinning table. The Head Maid's assistant was also allowed a chair as she guarded the fire pit. Shen Tianyu did ask her if she wanted to read something in the meantime but she declined saying she needed to concentrate on the temperature of the room.
Time passed quickly and soon one of Rong Jian's eunuches knocked on the door of the room. "This humble one comes to inform Wangfei that the appointed time has arrived and that the kitchen servants have vacated the kitchen." He announced through the door.
Shen Tianyu flipped her book closed. "Alright. Wait for me while I change and then you can lead me there." She hadn't been to the kitchen since Rong Jian gave her the tour and she knew how confusing big estates can be so she felt she needed a guide. Since she was going to be cooking, she had to change into more practical clothing so she shed her fur coat and thick outer robe with fur cuffs for something with less fur.Rooster hr: 5-7pmMonkey hr: 3-5pm
"I'm warning you beforehand, it's not going to be anything too fancy okay? It might be more crude than what a Wangye like you is used to." Shen Tianyu crossed her arms and warned him ahead of time. In her last life, she let the proffessionals do the gourmet cooking since she didn't see the point of learning such advanced cooking skills when she wasn't operating a restaurant. Her cooking level was pretty average, though it was considered highly-skilled among the elites that never learned nor had motivation to learn to cook since they could pay for gourmet food and takeout everyday of the year until their death. And when she trasmigrated to here, she didn't need to upgrade her cooking skills either. Firstly, she was decently fed in the minister's estate despite her meals being leagues away from her siblings in extravagance, but at least she never went to sleep on a completely empty stomach. She was also able to fulfill her hunger by sneaking in stuff from the gardens. Extravagant cooking in a situation like that was just asking for a beating. Secondly, when she was taken into Yaodu, no one ate nore desired extravagant meals, everyone pretty much just ate to survive and update their friends on their lives. Though she was put on cooking duty more often than most, no one complained about her food and actually praised the taste being a wodnerful upgrade from the usual repetitive menu that was in place before because no oine knew how to cook more than three types of food. The old researchers were never put on cooking duty, though, sincce they never ate unless someone forced them to and even fainted in research so there was no way they even knew how to light the stove, much less cook. Compared to the lavish meals at the Wangfu and some of the restaurants here, especially in the capital, her cooking skills were really subpar."That's of no consequence! I'm sure everything you make will be delicious because you're my wife!" Rong Jian proudly declared."...Love really makes one blind..." Shen Tianyu mumbled to herself as she looked at Rong Jian's proud figure. "Well, I'm glad you think that way, looks like I won't be as pressured to make a beautiful dish." She told him aloud."Good! When do you want to go into the kitchen?""Hm... a half shichen before we have dinner." Shen Tianyu decided. They usually had dinner in the latter half of the You hour. It was currently the Shen hour....They arrived at the Wangfu and got off with the usual lineup. Rong Jian walked her to her quarters and left to give orders to the kitchen staff. Shen Tianyu dismissed the maids that were lingering around and told them to help out their co-workers. The Head Maid and her assistant were told to stay outside but given permission to sit down on the stone chairs or relax with some tea to combat the cold outside. Locking herself in her room, she walked towards the only desk in her bedroom, which was placed just in front of an open window facing east. There sat a pigeon with a dark silver ribbon tied around it's neck and a piece of paper attached to one of it's legs. She unfolded the piece of paper and read it. "What would you like us to have ready for the meeting?" Taking a sheet of paper and a cinnabar stick from a tray of writing utensils set aside on the table, she wrote to Yanmen Mengxiao and Wu Linghao. In truth, she disliked the crayon-like texture of words written in cinnabar but she was even worse with a brush and ink since she was never great at calligraphy and a moment of inattentiveness could mess up a whole letter. Besides, holding the brush with her wrist at a ninety degree angle hurt and felt really uncomfortable."The Emperor agreed to an official meeting on the next Earth Day. Bring some information about other industries and why a lot of artisans and medicinepeople are unwilling to disclose their special methods. We will be pushing for a policy that lisences people's creations to their inventors and other people have to pay the creator in order to use that invention so, bring any other information you deem necessary for that argument." The letter was short and concise, able to fit onto a separate small strip of paper. It was a waste of space and technology to send these kinds of messages using Jade Slips. She attached her answer onto the other leg of the bird. She held her hand out in front of it, the back of her hand touching the cool wood of the table, and it hopped onto the palm of her hand. She then put her other hand on the table top and leaned out the window, the hand with the pigeon on it ahead the rest of her body. She then quickly extended her arm as if to throw the bird from ther palm and it flapped it's wings at the same time. Taking advantage of the small push, the pigeon quickly flew into the sky and away, towards it's previous destination. Shen Tianyu retracted her hand as she watched it fly away to make sure it wasn't attacked on her part of the trip. When it was just a speck of black, she straightened up her upper body and turned away from the open window. The Head Maid and her assistant were in the front yard and probably saw the pigeon leaving but it wasn't like she was cheating on Rong Jian or anything so she didn't have anything to worry or have a guilty conscience about. Since the Head Maid and her assistant didn't have any other work to do besides serving her, she called them back in and had them heat the room by putting charcoal into the large burner pit outside. The ground heating system in the Zhu Wangye's residence was quite advanced, as was all the residence of all the other Wangye and especially the Imperial Palace. The fire pit was located outside the West side of the building with a small window to access it from within. The window was about the size of a mailbox slot in Shen Tianyu's previous world, big enough to throw charcoal into the pit but not big enough for a wild child to accidentally fall through. The slot only opened outwards so the people inside could throw charcoal in it and not have to manually close the slot themselves. The charcoal smoke would circulate under the building through mud or brick pipes and exit outside via a smoke jack built into the side of the building next to the fire pit into the sky so it was less likely to dirty the ground and the people walking by were less likely to accidentally step on it and potentially burn themselves. As the charcoal smoke circulate under the building, it heated up the floor and the air inside. It was an effective heating system for the time being, though it did cost in terms of air cleanliness but then again there were much more trees to take care of the bad things in the air. The Head Maid's assistant was the one to start a small fire in the pit and tended to it until it was sustainable without a human having to watch over it. She then came back inside and guarded the slot in order to throw in charcoal. Next to the slot was a wooden box the size of an almost fully-grown child full of charcoal. Shen Tianyu laid on the chaise as she tried to read a book about this kingdom's history, which she had borrowed from Rong Jian some time beforehand. There were currently ten volumes in total and the one she was holding was only the third. The current volume, she was told, covered the second most prosperous time in the history of Rikui kingdom before the big war between all the current nations first broke out.The Head Maid was allowed to sit on one of the chairs at tthe dinning table so she pulled out a knitting set and started knitting something at the dinning table. The Head Maid's assistant was also allowed a chair as she guarded the fire pit. Shen Tianyu did ask her if she wanted to read something in the meantime but she declined saying she needed to concentrate on the temperature of the room.Time passed quickly and soon one of Rong Jian's eunuches knocked on the door of the room. "This humble one comes to inform Wangfei that the appointed time has arrived and that the kitchen servants have vacated the kitchen." He announced through the door.Shen Tianyu flipped her book closed. "Alright. Wait for me while I change and then you can lead me there." She hadn't been to the kitchen since Rong Jian gave her the tour and she knew how confusing big estates can be so she felt she needed a guide. Since she was going to be cooking, she had to change into more practical clothing so she shed her fur coat and thick outer robe with fur cuffs for something with less fur.Rooster hr: 5-7pmMonkey hr: 3-5pm
